Emission Reduction of Greenhouse Gases: Emission Quotas or Mandated Control Technologies

It is argued that instead of imposing on each country internationally agreed quotas on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reductions, it would be easier to implement, enforce and verify, if each country mandates the installation of Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for each significant industrial category. It is BACT that has to be agreed on by an international convention, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). A possible BACT for coal-fueled power plants is the Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) cum Carbon Capture and Sequestration. For transportation vehicles, there is no “add-on” technology that can capture CO₂ emissions. Here CO₂ emissions must be limited by increased fuel mileage. There should be an internationally agreed maximum vehicle weight for passenger cars, which the author suggests to be 1000 kg. Because BACT can be implemented only on new sources, there must be an anti-grandfathering rule, e.g. all existing coal-fired power plants must be retired after their 35th year operating time; all personal vehicles must be scrapped after their 10th year on the road.